"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without." ~ Buddha

Human Beings are Good

Posted on July 21, 2018

“Human beings are despicable” was a quote and proclamation often uttered by a yoga teacher I once admired.Such broad judgement of the measure and morality of humankind is ignorant, narcissistic and lacks self-awareness or any semblance of mindfulness….and such a gauge lacking in compassion and tolerance is dangerous.Personally, I believe the theorem: “Human beings are inherently good.”The Ramayana often teaches us that once you turn on the lights in a room that has been dark for so long, it’s realized that you have been living with rodents. As we must assume, James Baldwin had it when he stated “I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.”The Buddhadharma and the Yoga Sutras often teach us that goodness is contagious! The problem is, so is evil! The challenge for you and me, as Buddhists and Yogis in the midst of the modern world, is to be examples of tolerance, friendship and Right Living (per the Noble Eightfold Path and Patanjali’s Sutras).This is the social dynamic of holiness. It is attractive and it is contagious…..to challenge, inspire and encourage by living our lives to the fullest, with tolerance and compassion is indeed the practice of yoga. This is the practice of Buddhism (and the basis of all religion). This is the practice of Yoga.